My final project will focus on the Colorado Silver Boom in the Colorado Rockies from around 1879-1893. I will primarily focus on mapping case studies of two cities whose populations and prestige exploded during the Colorado Silver Boom: Leadville and Aspen. Both these cities experienced a population explosion and a massive influx of investment in infrastructure, housing, mining, and services between 1879-1893. The discovery of deposits of lead minerals with large amounts of silver in them at Leadville in 1879 kickstarted the Colorado Silver Boom, while the discovery and exploitation of similar deposits near Aspen saved the failed mining town from becoming abandoned. I hope to determine whether a city’s proximity to profitable prospecting opportunities or proximity to railroads played a larger role in influencing where prospectors settled in the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the Colorado Silver Boom through this project. I will accomplish this goal by mapping the growth of these cities and their proximity to railroads between 1879-1893, as well as their proximity to profitable silver deposits,.
Some of the possible sources that I will employ in my digital mapping project will be U.S. Census data to see population growth in Leadville and Aspen between 1879 and 1893. I will also use secondary sources, such as Aspen and the Railroads by W. Clark Whitehorn, detailing the history of Aspen and Leadville to understand the growth of these cities and their proximity to railroads and profitable silver deposits. I will also use primary sources, such as the USGS’s 1886 monograph Geology and Mining Industry of Leadville, Colorado with Atlas by Samuel Franklin Emmons, to understand perceptions and assessments of mineral exploitation, transportation, and population growth in and around Aspen and Leadville. I will also explore the online repository of digital maps on ArcGIS to find historic geologic, railroad, and/or population maps to use in my final project.
At this point in my project, I believe an interactive web map or other form of an interactive map would best represent my project and my argument. Mountains and mountainous terrain are easily mapped with topographic methods. However, it is difficult to articulate on a flat map how truly challenging living, working, and traveling in a mountainous area is, particularly without many of the modern amenities we have today. With an interactive map, I could make interactive “exhibits” for different parts of Leadville, Aspen, and the surrounding railroads, mountains, mines, and trails. The images and descriptions in these exhibits could give readers a better understanding of what life was like for miners and settlers in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and how they made the decisions they did.
“The West” and its settlement by Euro-Americans has been a persistent focus of the American historical mythos. As a result, narratives of “The West” consistently capture the imagination of countless Americans. While these narratives can be quite engaging, they often obscure the true reality of life and survival in “The West.” In an easily digestible and attractive mapping product, such as an online interactive map, I believe I could capture the imagination of many Americans with a story of “The West” that avoids the pitfalls of inaccuracy and over-dramatization many popular histories and stories of “The West” contain.
Nicely done and a nice summary of our discussion. Be thinking about the data layers we discussed. Census information will likely be the most difficult but if you keep your focus on demographic information to your two case studies, it should be feasible. Focus on the GIS elements first. Identify and download the data layers that are available soon, that way you can plan your remaining time appropriately and ask for assistance when needed.